What the heck, I have transmission issues?

[gibbons]

We got our XC 9.16 years ago. I've been in the forum that long, and noticed right off a lot of talk of transmission problems. I always got the SW updates and I changed the fluid at 15K miles 65K miles, using real Volvo ATF. And I put in an in-line filter. I was just getting ready to do it again at 107K miles, using the the "Gibbons method" as noted in the stickies I think the transmission has had a cushy life, so why me?

It's been really cold lately. I noticed that shifting from 2nd to 3rd was a little goofy when the car was 40 degrees fresh out of the garage. Today when I drove home from work, when it had been sitting outside all day at about 15 degrees, the shifting was waaay goofy. When shifting from 2nd to 3rd, it seemed to be in neutral for a second or two, hesitating as the rpms went up a bit, and finally positively engaged 3rd. 1.5 miles later, and a titch warmer, it was totally fine for the rest of the commute.

Is this the dreaded transmission flare indicating the beginning of the end? I'm hoping that a flush with some nice fresh ATF will make some difference.

[Astro14]

That....or the MAF is going...and the ECM is getting mixed signals...resulting in poor engine/trans coordination...

[jkochis]

Did you get all the VADIS updates on the trans? I have '04 as well and when it was less then a year old we took a long road trip and had this shifting flare but it was summer and after like 9hrs of driving or more. They dealer updated the trans sw and i never had it again and I am close to 100k miles now.

[gibbons]

It's only 2-3 when really cold, but I will think about the MAF. There were a couple of trans software updates I had done back then, I don't know what's happened over the years.

Still, if the trans was going south, I would get it fixed rather than try to dump the car. It's got 2 tiny door dings, and other than that, it still looks and drives like new (with new struts and suspension pieces at 85K).

[sjonnie]

It's only 2-3 when really cold.

The TCM delays the 2-3 upshift when the transmission is cold in order to warm up the transmission fluid faster. It can keep the car in 2nd up to about 3,000rpm which people find quite alarming if they're not used to it. When it does finally make the 2-3 shift its usual for it to not feel as smooth as normal. If the 2-3 upshift is fine when the car is warmed up there is nothing out of the ordinary.

[JRL]

if it's only when cold, don't worry about it.
It's a bit odd that it hasn't been that way earlier but it is more or less normal

[Linda English]

We have a 2001 XC 70 Wagon and it's problems are somewhat similar to yours. He left Phoenix this morning (coming to CO)! The car has been doing this for awhile now, but seems fine once it is warmed up. This morning though, he had it on cruise control and it just all of a sudden stopped running! Very scary. He pulled to side of the road and shut it off, tried driving again and it only would go 58 MPH. Pulled over again and shut car off. Then restarted and now it has seemed fine. He doesn't know if it's transmission or the turbo going out! Anybody have any suggestions? We bought the car used and just made the last payment on it, wouldn't you know! It has 130,000-140,000 miles on it. All of the injector things (don't know if that's what they are called) have been replaced, unless they are breaking down again. Hope it isn't too serious or expensive~He has a couple of mountain passes to go over, so I hope he makes it home okay!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We got our XC 9.16 years ago. I've been in the forum that long, and noticed right off a lot of talk of transmission problems. I always got the SW updates and I changed the fluid at 15K miles 65K miles, using real Volvo ATF. And I put in an in-line filter. I was just getting ready to do it again at 107K miles, using the the "Gibbons method" as noted in the stickies :) I think the transmission has had a cushy life, so why me?

It's been really cold lately. I noticed that shifting from 2nd to 3rd was a little goofy when the car was 40 degrees fresh out of the garage. Today when I drove home from work, when it had been sitting outside all day at about 15 degrees, the shifting was waaay goofy. When shifting from 2nd to 3rd, it seemed to be in neutral for a second or two, hesitating as the rpms went up a bit, and finally positively engaged 3rd. 1.5 miles later, and a titch warmer, it was totally fine for the rest of the commute.

Is this the dreaded transmission flare indicating the beginning of the end? I'm hoping that a flush with some nice fresh ATF will make some difference.

[seanm]

Gibbons...I am out west also. I have done 1 drain/fill at 30k and 1 gibbons-method trans flush at 59K - and have all software updates.
And I too have been recently experiencing 2-3rd gear shift goofiness - especially just out of the driveway. My 2005 w/65K is not garaged - and with temps ranging from -5 to 20 F here in the last week, sjonnie's explanation seems to hit the nail on the head for you and I.

[RockitShip]

As others stated: pretty normal in (very) cold weather... my 03 XC will hold its gear much longer and higher until warmed up and shifts may feel a bit rough. my 99 A4 is even worse with a big delay/ and a flare from 2-3 when marginally cold even in warmer months. Your best bet is to let it warm up a few minutes in the driveway before taking off, (or just take it easy for the first few miles).

[gibbons]

I've been monitoring closely the last few days. It runs perfectly smooth after about 1 mile of driving. If I start and drive away stone cold, it still free revs between gears, and clunks into third. Even if it happens on only 2-3, and not all the others, I'm not going to worry about it. I'm the one who always drives it now, and when cold I put it in manual shift and "pedal" the throttle like shifting a manual, and it's fine.

Thanks for all the thoughts and reassurances.